The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-12-29
1 anosT STORY.

- UUUOOU ~ ODA
The session Of tho court lin one o!
the adjoining counties'') was over.
The judge had invited tho bar to
take supper with him at his fino old
residence. about five miles from the
court house village. And q fine sup.
per it was, too; hot rolls, waffles,
Sally Lunn, broiled chicken. nutty
old ham. tomato salad and no end Of
other toothsome dainties.
'That looks like . ghost" remark.
en- Coleman Chisholm May.
"What1 Where?" asked Mr.. Billups.
with slight start.
Mr.. Billups was a gentleman of the
nelghborhood. who had supped with
the lawyers, though not one OF them.
He was rosy, plump, amiable little
man, whose cheeks reminded one Of
those OF ground squirrel when filled
with acorns. He had. too, a way Of
turning quickly upon you his brisk,
bright. swapping little brown eyes. ]
cannot think of any other popularity
worth mentioning about him save his
persistent and scornful disbelief in
ghosts.
"What' where?" he snapped, turn.
Ing to the counsellor.
That little cedar down at the foot
OF the lawn, wait for another flash.' -
"oh!" said Billups. settling himself
back in his chair.
With that the company fell to tell.
ing ghost stories, Mr.. Billups protest
ing. for, he urged that by such nara.
tives We helped to rivet the chains
of superstition.
"Why, what's the harm?" asked one
OF tho young ladies. "Who believes in
euch things? Surely no one except
-" aud she nodded in the direction
OF the buffers pantry.
II do" sounded solemn and sepul.
chral the voice of Coleman Chisholm
May, close by the ear of Billups the
skeptical and the scornful.
1.-THE deuce you do? beg your par
don, ladies'" exclaimed Mr.. Billups,
briskly switching himself and his chair
a foot farther from the man who
could believe in such nonsense.
EYES," replied Mr.. May slowly.
slime was when I was a doubter like
yourself. 1have been convinced"
"You have seen one, suppose; and
It looked like a cedar bush by she ct
lghtning!"
NO." rumbled the applicant from
the bottom of his deep chest. II have
not seen; l have heard merely. Heard
the footstep, not seen the facet"
The rosy-cheeked disbeliever in ap-
partitions switched his chair three
inches nearer the judge; but the ladies
drew theirs closer to Mr.. May; and g.
delicious SILVER chilling their blood,
begged him to tell them all about this
mysterious and invisible ghost.
"pll bet fifty dollars it was rat"
exclaimed Billups detiantly.
wait till the evidence is in" re-.
Joined the contentious counsellor.
The sky was black, but each flash
OF lightning revealed q vivid picture:
The straight-cut features of Coleman
Chisholm May in their stolid calm;
che pale faces of the cluster of ladies
who leaned forward with parted lips,
breathing short, ready to scream
should mouse but squeak; and for
background, the bench and bar, half
2 dozen strong. and Billups the SCOT
ter.
"Once upon a time," began Mr..
May, II spent a month or so with
some friends in the county of -. The
gentleman of the house "a bachelor
and sheriff OF the county-had his
room in an old wing OF the residence,
while his mother and sisters occupied
the main building. For the first week
OF my visit he was absent. slept in
the sheriff's chamber. This was on
the ground floor, and next it, the last
room OF the wing, was the kitchen. A
long covered way or hall connected
the kitchen with the dining-room
in tho main building, so that
any one going from the kitchen to the
front OF the house passed by my
room; but in order to reach my door,
one had to turn into q second and
shorter hall leading out of the other.
In other words, in passing from the
door of the kitchen to the door of the
room occupied by me, you traced the
letter L: Ladies, do you follow me?"
YES" they shivered in chill chorus.
1.-THE house was closed early, no
servant remaining within it. Well,
one night-it was as dark as Erebus
and as still as DEATH
"Oo-oo-oo-"s hivered the ladies.
"Pooh!" sneered Billups.
II was reading Poe's Raven in bed.
Once upon a midnight dreary,' you
know-and just as the clock began to
sound forth 12-ding! ding! ding!-I
heard coming from the kitchen door
the steady tramp ofheavy footsteps"
"Heavy footsteps! HIM. squeak
ed Billups the bold, in rather shaky
treble.
Just then sudden flash dispersed
the pitchy darkness of the porch; and
some of the audience, though half
blinded. thought they detected on the
face of the stolid story teller the re.
mains of q diabolical grimace. as
though the flash had surprised him
making faces. He continued:
Immersed as was in my room,
footsteps in the hall at that hour did
not strike mo as incongruous; but on
they came, resounding and shaking
the old house up to my very door,
and there stopped"
The Ladies gave little shrieks; tor the
honeysuckle rustied under a sudden
puff of wind. The valiant Biilups
laid his hand in a neighborly way, on
the sleeve of the judge, for they were
intimate.
II laid my book down and waited.
Not q sound! ! coughed. Dead silence!
Hello, said I. Who thief the ladies
will pardon the exact reproduction OF
my remarks?"
Certainly"